SAN ANGELES, EARTH – Money cut from the Martian terraforming subsidy would instead be used to vaccinate children of poverty throughout the Stellar Consortium.

That’s according to Edwin Blades, an Earth representative on the Consortium Council who chairs the finance committee. He spoke in response to accusations by Martian representative Rafael Santiago that the council intends to use the money for pork barrel projects.

“If the honorable Mr. Santiago wants to let children die for the shadow of a chance that Mars might be terraformed *one day in the distant future*, then he is welcome to make that argument in the next meeting of the full council,” Blades said.